5 Ways to Create a Bird-Safe Backyard

A lot of planning, time and money go into attracting and feeding your backyard birds. But making your space appealing to them with food and plants they love is only one part of the equation. You also need to ensure that birds stay safe while in your yard. With these tips, you are on your way to a bustling backyard full of feathered guests. Creating and maintaining a bird-safe yard requires a bit more work and dedication beyond simply putting up a feeder. But the peace of mind that comes with doing your part to keep birds safe is extremely rewarding.

Clean Feeders Regularly

Cleaning bird feeders is certainly not the most glamorous part of attracting birds, but it’s necessary to keep them healthy and avoid spreading diseases. Moldy seeds and accumulated bird droppings create a very unhealthy environment. It’s best to clean your feeders once a month using a stiff brush and hot, soapy water. Consider cleaning them more often during times of peak feeding activity, such as the migration season. Allow each feeder to dry completely before filling and putting it back up.

Say No to Pesticides

Birding and gardening go hand-in-hand, and understanding how birds, bugs and plants benefit one another greatly enhances the rewards. As an active gardener, you probably have found bugs eating your plants and felt the urge to take action. But it’s important to know that most pesticides are nondiscriminate killers that don’t just eliminate specific bugs. Pesticides kill important pollinators, like honeybees and butterflies, as well as helpful insects like lady beetles.

Although many kinds of lawn fertilizers with weed killers are harmful to wildlife, you still should consider organic fertilizers. Building your soil with a strong combination of compost and organic fertilizers is critical. If you forgo all fertilizers, you can end up with poor plant growth, fewer bugs for birds to eat, and soil erosion as plants decline.

And reducing the overall use of harsh pesticides in yards is healthier for humans, too. A pesticide-free yard is the safest option for your favorite birds, other wildlife guests, pets and even you, too!

Maralee Park (B&B reader)

Prevent Painful Windowstrikes

Thud! When you hear a bird crash into a window, a feeling of dread comes over you. Stand out in your backyard and look at the windows of your house from a bird’s perspective, and it’s easy to see why strikes are a major issue. Windows reflect the sky and fool birds into thinking they can fly right through.

Special tape, decals shaped like hawks, and many other products designed to reduce window strikes can be effective and worth trying. If you’re experiencing bird strikes at windows near your feeders and decals aren’t doing the trick, move the feeders to within 2 or 3 feet of the window. In such a short distance, birds can’t build up any speed between the feeder and the window. Birds may still bump into the window occasionally, but they’re far less likely to be injured.

Alexandru Zdrobau (public domain)

Keep Cats Happy Indoors

Cats are lovely and make wonderful companions. But if you love birds and feeding them, it’s best to keep your cats indoors. Studies prove the devastating impact that roaming house cats and feral cats have on
birds and small mammals.

House cats are not native and also are not part of the natural ecosystem. Many people believe that a well-fed kitty wouldn’t have any reason to hunt birds, but even cared-for cats have the instinct to go after birds. Feeders and roaming cats are a lethal combination. If you have an outdoor cat, or if many strays visit your yard, it may be best if you refrain from feeding the birds, for the birds’ own safety. Or, you can create an outdoor enclosure or cat patio for your feline friend. They allow your kitty to be outdoors without being a threat to birds. Remember that, according to veterinarians, indoor cats live longer, healthier lives. So keeping them inside not only protects the birds, it’s also better for the cats.

Gayle Jones (B&B reader)

Avoid Red Dye

Beware: Some retailers offer hummingbird food colored with red dye. Most leading experts agree that the dye can be harmful to birds, and at the very least it’s unnecessary. The top recommendation for hummingbird food is to make it at home. Mix one part granulated white sugar to four parts water. Any other kind of sweetener besides white granulated table sugar may be unsafe.

It took a couple years to finally get them in my boxes and then last year…a huge black snake got in the box and ate the babies. I opened the door, pulled him out, and flung him against a tree. I fixed up the boxes like Fort Knox after that, and while I’ve had lookers this year, no takers yet. They will come! But protect the future babies. I did it the easy way…I cut up wire fencing and wrapped it all around the poles from the ground up, with all the little sharp edges sticking out. Doesn’t look great, but if it doesn’t stop a snake or even a raccoon, I’ll give up!

I too have had black snakes get babies, and I wrap bird netting around the posts, and it traps them on the way up. Your idea may work also. (I don’t wrap the netting tightly, but leave it fluffed out a bit, but secure it well at each end.)

I had 4 bluebirds stay all winter. I was concerned about what to feed them. They did eat mealyworms but preferred suet. I broke up hot pepper suet and put in feeders and on ground. After awhile the bluebirds even started eating from the suet cakes that were in the suet feeders. You should position the boxes away from feeding stations so as not to attract predators. 3-6 feet height, Ideally facing east/north if possible. Good luck!

I had a black snake get blue bird babies one season. All I had was my sandles so I took one off and had a battle with the large snake…I won. I have wrapped Barbed Wire around the post. One of my houses has metal sheeting wrapped around the post. Black snakes are valuable in keeping mice or rats out of barns but are lethal to the birds in trees or boxes.

My parents have a large picture window & my Mom always placed window clings on the window. She would always change them with seasonal clings. They are inexpensive & is very effective in preventing bird crashes & injuries.

We have two homemade Carolina Bluebird houses with one currently occupied with a family. We have one homemade bluebird feeder which contains suet coated peanuts and many dried meal worms. The best boxes are protected with carpet tack stripping strips zip tied with the nail points facing out. No snakes or squirrels or raccoons climb up those and if you’ve ever accidentally stepped on one you understand the theory.

PLEASE I NEED HELP LAST YEAR I HAD TO BUY NEW BIRD BATH, 13yrs BIRDS COME TO THE OTHER ONE, WINTER & SUMMER{HEATER}. REDWINGS COME BUT NON =O{ OF OTHERS, THEY COME TO EAT=O}… I LOVE SO TO SEE THEM BATHING…=O} CLEANED OFTEN, USED SPECIAL STUFF IN WATER… PLEASE HELP… HEARTFUL THANKYOU… MIMI

Regarding cats getting birds…I agonized over this as I have friendly neighborhood cats who come to visit me, and I wanted to put up a feeder. Then I saw a small, metal pen on Groupon, designed to hold a small dog outdoors. I orderered one about 40 inches high and hung my feeder on a pole stuck in the middle of the pen. It worked! Cats can’t jump that high to get in, and the birds get to feed on the ground as well as at the feeder!

Hi, new to bird feeders / country life and have been feeding lots of juncos, jay, chickadees , with black oiled sunflowers seeds( oh, squirrels also helping themselves) but wondering if there’s a problem letting the shells pile up on the ground around the feeders??

How do you manage the cat problem when I have 6 different neighbors that let thei cats run loose and three of them at
e outside cats 24 hours a day. Animal control has not been much help, as a result the bird population in my backyard has dwindled to about 6 species and half of those are sparrow, starling and doves.

I’ve found that running at top speed outside and heaving a pitcherful of water at them (when the weather is warm, don’t want to injure them) is a pretty good deterrent. Hissing, yelling, sound effects and/or obvious wild-eyed crankiness/lunacy are bonus disincentives and also an excellent way to blow off your feline frustration. (You may want to temper your performance depending on observers).

A.D. Admire,
Same problem here, 3 outside neighbor cats over here all the time. Most birds gone. Put out deer repellant capsules, hoping the odor of large wildcat urine will repel these guys.So far no luck, but maybe with more rain…..Or more capsules. Pricey!

The shells from sunflowers will release something that will kill any green plants that sprout or try to grow beneath your feeders. This applies also to leaves and stems from black walnut trees. You may have to change from whole seeds to sunflower hearts or shelled seeds. Or, I guess you could sweep up the shells also, but that might be quite a chore.